Hot top suspension system for ingot mold

ABSTRACT

A hot top suspension system is provided for use with outwardly expandable sideboard securing means. A sideboard hanger having a long shank portion and a support ledge portion therebelow and at 90* thereto is utilized for support of each sideboard. The hanger is adapted to be adjustably supported by an ingot mold and its shank passes between the sideboard and ingot sidewall. The hanger support ledge extends inwardly under or through the sideboard to provide support therefor and extends beyond the other side sufficiently to support the securing means thereon.

United States Patent Young 1 1 Aug. 5, 1975 [54] HOT TOP SUSPENSION SYSTEM FOR 2.946.103 7/1960 Vullalk 249/197 [NGOT 101 0 3.734.454 5/1973 McCray 249/202 3.737.138 6/1973 Gregan 249/202 X [75] Inventor: James Edward Young Chadds Ford.

[73] Assignee: Combustion Engineering, Inc.,

Windsor, Conn.

[22] Filed: May 18, 1973 [21] Appl. No: 361,675

[52] US. Cl 249/106; 249/202 [51] lnt.C1 B22d 7/10 [58] Field of Search 249/106. I97-202 {56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1.182.374 5/1916 Howard et a1. 249/106 1,738.20) 12/1929 Rowe 249/202 2.433.775 12/1947 Marburg 249/198 Primary ExuminerRobert D. Baldwin [57] ABSTRACT A hot top suspension system is provided for use with outwardly expandable sideboard securing means. A sideboard hanger having a long shank portion and a support ledge portion therebelow and at 90 thereto is utilized for support of each sideboard. The hunger is adapted to be adjust-ably supported by an ingot mold and its shank passes between the sideboard and ingot sidewall. The hanger support ledge extends inwardly under or through the sideboard to provide support therefor and extends beyond the other side sufficiently to support the securing means thereon.

6 Claims. 4 Drawing Figures SHEET PATENTEU AUB 51975 HOT TOP SUSPENSION SYSTEM FOR INGOT MOLD BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to hot tops for ingot molds and more particularly to the supporting apparatus for such hot tops. More particularly still, the invention relates to apparatus for supporting hot top sideboards and their securing means.

The use of hot tops in molds for the formation of metal ingots is well known. Typically, the hot tops comprise a plurality of insulating and/or exothermic sideboards which are positioned about some or all of the inner perimeter of an ingot mold near its upper end. A variety of means have evolved for supporting and securing the sideboards at the correct elevation in and in snug contact with the mold, particularly near their lower ends.

One form of sideboard securing means which has enjoyed recent popularity is that of the expandable retaining ring or band. Typically, such retaining ring is positioned inwardly of and adjacent the pre-positioned sideboards, preferably near their bottom ends, and is subsequently expanded into outwardly biasing engagement with them. Most of these retaining rings are large and cumbersome to handle, generally being continuous about the inner periphery of the sideboards. It has been difficult, if not impossible, to manually, simultaneously position and expand these rings. Thus, means are needed to support the rings in posiiton prior to and during their expansion into biasing contact with the sideboards.

Additionally, it may be desirable to vary the size of an ingot formed in a particular mold. To accommodate this variation in size, it is necessary to vary the elevation of the hot top in the molds. Accordingly, hot top supporting means have been provided for supporting sideboards at different elevations within the mold; however, they have generally required a different length support affixed to the sideboard for each different elevation required or, if they did include some degree of adjustability, it has generally been provided by bulky steel hanger rods extending across or along the top of the ingot mold and passing through vertically spaced holes in the sideboard support means.

It is thus an object of the invention to provide hot top supporting means which will support both the sideboards and the securing means, and preferably also be easily adjustable to provide support of the hot top at any elevation over a significant range.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the invention, there is provided hot top supporting apparatus for supporting both the sideboards and outwardly expandable securing means, particularly before expansion of the latter. Further, the supporting means are constructed to allow positioning of the hot top sideboards across a significantly broad range of elevations in an ingot mold with but a single type of support means.

A hanger is provided for each sideboard which includes a shank portion, at least part of which is adapted to be located between the sideboard and the inner surface of a sidewall of the ingot mold, and a support ledge therebelow extending inwardly beyond the inner sur face of the sideboard to vertically support the sideboard and a part of the expandable securing means thereon. The hanger shank may be outwardly deformed above the support ledge for supported engagement with the top of the ingot mold.

Preferably the sideboard includes a groove in its back, or outer, surface which extends downward to an opening extending through the sideboard. The hanger shank may be flushly seated in this groove with the support ledge extending through the opening and beyond the inner surface of the sideboard. This opening is preferably positioned elevationally on the sideboard such that the securing means resting thereon apply their securing force near the bottom of the sideboards.

Further, a locking tab to maintain the sideboard closely adjacent the hanger shank may be created by providing a portion of the hanger shank which is inwardly and downwardly deformable to a position closely adjacent the inner surface of the sideboard near the top thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a partial isometric view of an ingot mold showing the hot top suspension system of the invention therein.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a hot top sideboard and associated support hanger prior to their installation with one another.

FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view of the ingot mold and hot top suspension and securing means taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a convenient sideboard securing expansion ring prior to expansion.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIG. I, there is shown a hot top arrangement for an ingot mold 10. The mold 10 has four nearly vertical sidewalls and is closed at the bottom. The hot top discussed herein is formed by four sideboards or panels 12 which each extend most of the length of a sidewall of the mold l0 and overlap or mate at the ends. The sideboards 12 may be of an insulating material or an exothermic material, or both. Sideboards 12 are elevationally positioned and supported relative to the mold 10 by hangers 14 of the invention. The sideboards 12 are urged into and secured in close contact with the mold sidewall inner surfaces by sideboard securing means, such as expansion ring I6 which may be outwardly expanded into pressing engagement with the inner surfaces of the sideboards. It should be noted that, in describing the preferred embodiment, things facing or directed toward the center of mold I0 will be referred to as inner and those facing or directed away will be termed outer. Front might be synonymous with inner and back with outer.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a hanger l4 and a sideboard 12 are shown in greater detail, prior to their being combined in forming part of a mold hot top. Hanger I4 is a semi-rigid, preferably manually deformable strip of typically 14-18 gauge metal having a width of about I inch and an overall length of about 30 inches. Most of the upper length of hanger 14, for instance 27 inches, comprises a shank portion 18 which initially is straight and the remaining 3 inches at the lower end is bent or formed to extend at to shank l8 and forms a support ledge 20.

A locking tab 22, the function of which will be later described, is formed by punching or cutting a portion of hanger shank 18 to form a tab of metal which re mains affixed to the shank at its lower end but is otherwise free to be manually deformed or bent about the affixed portion. Tab 22 may be 2 to 3 inches in vertical length and A inch in width. Its distance from support ledge 20 will be discussed below.

Also shown in FIG. 2 is a sideboard 12 for use in the invention. It includes a back or outer surface 24 and a front or inner surface 26, the latter not being visible in FIG. 2. Surfaces 24 and 26 are substantially parallel one another and spaced a distance or thickness, T, here about 1 inch. Each board I2, in this embodiment, is about l4 inches high and 18-20 inches long. A rectangular groove 28 exists in the outer surface 24 of a sideboard I2. Groove 28 extends downwardly from the top of sideboard I2 to a location near, but preferably several inches above, the bottom of the board. Groove 28 has a width equal to or slightly larger than the width of hanger shank 18, here about I inch. The groove depth into sideboard I2 is substantially the same as the gauge or thickness of hanger 14 to accommodate or seat shank I8 therewithin such that its back or outer surface is substantially flush with the back or outer surface 24 of board 12.

A passage or opening 30 extends through each board 12, from inner surface 26 to outer surface 24. Opening 30 is generally rectangular in cross-section, having substantially the same cross-sectional geometry and size as support ledge 20 such that the latter may be extended inwardly therethrough, as indicated by arrow 32 in FIG. 2 and seen in FIG. 3. Opening 30 is positioned near, and preferably several inches above, the bottom of a sideboard l2 and is aligned and communicates with groove 28.

As noted above, support ledge 20 is of sufficient length, 3 inches, to include a portion of length T, which extends through a sideboard 12 and an additional portion which extends inwardly beyond inner surface 26 of board 12 a distance of an inch or more. Sideboards l2 and hangers 14 may be manufactured and shipped separately for compactness and assembled or combined at the time of setting the hot top.

Locking tab 22, mentioned earlier, is positioned along hanger 14 such that it is near the top of the sideboard 12 through which support ledge 20 supportingly extends. The upper end oftab 22 may be manually bent inward and downward, as indicated by arrow 34 in FIG. 2, to a position closely adjacent the sideboard inner surface 26, as seen in FIG. 3. In this latter position, tab 22 retains, and may urge, sideboard 12 near or against hanger shank l8.

Sideboards 12 are intended to be dependently or suspendedly supported by and within mold by means of hangers l4. Shank 18 of the hanger is manually deformable such that an operator may bend the upper portion of it rearward or outward, substantially anywhere along its length above tab 22, as indicated by arrow 36 in FIG. 2 and seen in FIG. 3. The bending op eration may be facilitated by weakening shank 18, as with holes 38 therethrough incrementally along its length above tab 22. When the shank 18 is deformed, or rather reformed, to the shape depicted in FIG. 3, it will rest on and be vertically supported by the top of mold 10. A downturn may be made in the end of shank 18 to lock it to the mold 10. Typically, the top of a l2-l4 inch high sideboard 12 may be supportingly positioned from 20 inches or more below the top of mold 10 to an inch or two above it.

To initially position a sideboard 12, as depicted in FIGS. I and 3, hanger support ledge 20 is inserted inwardly through opening 30 and shank I8 is seated in groove 28; locking tab 22 is bent down and in, to a position adjacent the sideboard inner surface 26; the upper end of shank I8 is bent outward over the top edge of mold l0; and the hanger 14 is then lowered into supported contact with the mold, supporting the sideboard thereon. This procedure is followed for all four sideboards 12.

An expansion ring 16 is then lowered into supported contact with hanger support ledges 20. Expansion ring 16, seen in FIG. 4 in plan view prior to installation in mold I0, is comprised of two angle irons or rods, 40 and 42, ofa fairly rigid metal. Each angle rod 40 and 42 is of a shape and length to extend along two adjacently positioned sideboards l2 and includes a segment at each end which is directed at a 45 angle toward the next adjacent arm of the other angle rod. A pair of these latter mentioned 45 angled end segments will then exist at two diagonally opposite corners of ring 16 with one spaced inward of the other at one corner and the positioning reversed at the other corner. Each end segment of a pair is connected with the other of that pair at their end extremes, as by welding, with an S- shaped metal connector 44.

Connector 44 serves to provide some deformable, extra material in the ring 16 such that it may be subsequently outwardly expanded in the directions indicated by arrows 46. This outward expansion may be effected by engaging the arms of a connector 44 at two different points with a double slotted tool, of well known design and not shown here, and then rotating the tool counterclockwise. This rotates the S connectors 44 somewhat to a new fixed position, forcing angle rods 40 and 42 in the direction of arrows 46.

The pre-expansion outside dimensions of expansion ring 16 are such that it fits closely but easily inside the pre-positioned sideboards l2 and rests on the inwardly extending ends of hanger support ledges 20, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 3. Subsequently, an operator may move to each corner of mold I0 in which the ring connectors 44 are located and expand the ring 14. This expansion forces the rods 40 and 42 outwardly into strong contact with the sideboard inner surfaces 26 where they re main, urging the sideboard outer surfaces 24 into snug, molten metal sealing contact with the mold sidewall inner surfaces. As noted earlier, this force is preferably applied in the lower region of the sideboards to insure a seal against rising molten metal.

There has been described novel means for suspending an ingot hot top and particularly one employing outwardly expandable securing means. It will be appreciated that each sideboard might have more than one hanger associated therewith. Further, if a sideboard is composed of a very soft and/or compressible material, the groove 28 in the outer surface might be omitted if a good seal can be obtained.

While there has been shown and described a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto but may be variously embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A hot top support system for an ingot mold comprising:

a plurality of Sideboards each having inner and outer surfaces;

outwardly expandable means for acting against each 5 said sideboard inner surface to urge said sideboard outer surface into close contact with the inner surface of a sidewall of said mold, and

a hanger for each said sideboard, said hanger including a shank portion located intermediate said sideboard and said mold inner surface and adapted to be dependingly supported by said mold, a support ledge below said shank portion and extending inwardly beyond the inner surface of said sideboard for vertically supporting contact with said sideboard and said expandable means, and a locking tab therewith positioned above said support ledge near the top of a said sideboard supported thereon and operative to maintain said sideboard and hanger in closely adjacent relationship.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said hanger shank is outwardly deformable above said support ledge to provide a downward-facing surface for vertically supported contact with the top of said ingot mold.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said locking tab comprises part of said hanger shank being deformably movable to a position adjacent the inner surface of said sideboard.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each said side board includes a downwardly extending groove in said outer surface and said hanger shank portion is seated in said groove substantially flush with said sideboard outer surface.

S. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein each said sideboard includes an opening therethrough for passage of said hanger through said sideboard, said opening being aligned with said groove.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said opening is near the bottom of said sideboard. 

1. A hot top support system for an ingot mold comprising: a plurality of sideboards each having inner and outer surfaces; outwardly expandable means for acting against each said sideboard inner surface to urge said sideboard outer surface into close contact with the inner surface of a sidewall of said mold; and a hanger for each said sideboard, said hanger including a shank portion located intermediate said sideboard and said mold inner surface and adapted to be dependingly supported by said mold, a support ledge below said shank portion and extending inwardly beyond the inner surface of said sideboard for vertically supporting contact with said sideboard and said expandable means, and a locking tab therewith positioned above said support ledge near the top of a said sideboard supported thereon and operative to maintain said sideboard and hanger in closely adjacent relationship.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said hanger shank is outwardly deformable above said support ledge to provide a downward-facing surface for vertically supported contact with the top of said ingot mold.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said locking tab comprises part of said hanger shank being deformably movable to a position adjacent the inner surface of said sideboard.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each said sideboard includes a downwardly extending groove in said outer surface and said hanger shank portion is seated in said groove substantially flush with said sideboard outer surface.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein each saId sideboard includes an opening therethrough for passage of said hanger through said sideboard, said opening being aligned with said groove.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said opening is near the bottom of said sideboard. 